Saturday, February 1, 2014

Documentary review: Jurassic Fight Club

I have a special connection to this week’s documentary being
reviewed. When it first came out in 2008, I was eagerly anticipating it. You
see, it reminded me of a series I was really interested in as a teenager. It
was on Discovery, a show called Animal Face-Off, which discussed possible
battles between coexisting species such as lion vs tiger, elephant vs
rhinoceros, bear vs alligator, etc.While the execution was terribly done, I liked the premise. When I heard
what sounded like a dinosaur version of the show was coming to TV, I couldn’t
wait.

This is Jurassic Fight Club. WhenI did watch it, it wasn’t as good as I hoped, but still a very
enjoyable show.The premise is
extrapolating from fossils about prehistoric conflicts. The discovery is first
shown, then the species involved, the environment, and then a comparison and
finally an action sequence showing the conflict. The host is George Blasing, a
paleontology expert and teacher who has a roadshow in Texas, educating at schools on fossils and
prehistoric animals. George is a great personality, dynamic and funny on the
show, and with a vivid imagination he describes, blow by blow, the incidents
implied by the fossil finds.When my
birthday came this past week, I immediately bought myself the DVD set for this
review.

The format uses a lot of repeated footage in quick cuts as well as static and
diagnostic shots of the animals involved. This fortunately never gets quite as
bad as Clash of the Dinosaurs;the
editingcan take an episode’s final
sequence and cut it into tiny slivers spread throughout the program so the
reused footage is never too obnoxious. More unfortunate are the still tableaus
shown both as backgrounds to the “talking heads” and as 3-dimensional tracking
shots that show pretty critical spoilers on the outcome. To be fair the outcome
for most of these is a given revealed by the fossil evidence. My favorite party
of most episodes is when Lawrence Witmer reconstructs the brain of each animal
and interprets their function.

The first episode is on the 1996 discovery near Mahajanga of
a Majungasaurus (called Majungatholus in the program) that was cannibalized by
another. The experts here are Phil Currie of the University of Alberta and
Theropod authority, biomechanical pioneer Lawrence Whitmer of Ohio University,theropod authority Tom Holtz
of the University of Maryland, Peter Larson of the Black Hills Institute and
Mark Loewen of the University of Utah.The interesting part is that while Majungasaurus is speculated to be
extremely sexual dimorphic despite the lack of material to establish it, this
is not shown for Ceratosaurus, Albertosaurus, and Allosaurus, where dimorphism
may not be established but is certainly a valid interpretation.The extrapolation is that the cannibalism
resulted due to a male courting a female, killing its offspring, and in turn
being killed himself.Alas, the amusing
anecdote that Majungasaurus was named Majungatholus due to a mistaken
identification as a pachycephalosaur due to its thick skull is left
unmentioned.The giant snake Madstonia,
the sauropod Rapetosaurus, the strange theropod Masaikosaurus, the crocodile
Mahajungasuchus and the dromeosaur Rahonavis are also no-shows, probably due to
animation costs. Still, it’s great to see Majungasaurus make its debut.

The second episode is based on a find near Belle
Fourche of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus with flattened theropod teeth
around it. The teeth resemble that of the specimens Jane and Clevelandotyrannus
and so Blasing speculates that the juvenile was a victim of a Nanotyrannus.
Witmer’s scan shows very different brain shapes and positions, leaning him
towards Nanotyranus as its own species. The debate on Nanotyrannus’ validity is
discussed; Phil Currie, Peter Larson, and the late great Larry Martin take the
position for validity while Tom Holtz disagrees.I personally am leaning towards a distinct
species, but I can be convinced otherwise if intermediates between specimens
like Jane and Sue are found.Now, an
obvious question emerges-does the juvenile Tyrannosaur resemble the
Nanotyrannus or is it distinct? This would clearly end the debate right then
and there, but it is never mentioned. Mark Norell doesn’t seem to have taken a
stance-he prefers to talk about Tyrannosaurus. In addition to the usual
hyperbole (including the questionable assertion that Tyrannosaurus was the most
aggressive dinosaur) , there is also the hypothesis that Tyrannosaurus had
toxic bacteria in its teeth. This septic bite hypothesis was based on
similarities in tooth structure with Komodo Dragons.However, recently herpetologists have found
that Komodo dragons are actually venomous and so this idea has been mostly
abandoned.A final note is that both
animals shown probably had plumage to some degree based on the groundbreaking
discovery of Yutyrannus, a feathery tyrannosaur from China.At any rate, Nanotyrannus is a rare sight in
dinosaur media and it’s a welcome addition.

The third episode is centered on the Bridger bonebed
excavated by the Yale
Peabody Museum.This find was of a Tenontosaurus surrounded
by Deinonychus. This association has been known since the 1960s and
Tenontosaurus and Deinonychus are almost always depicted in battle.Larson, Martin, Currie, Holtz, and Norell
return, with Whitmer’s examination of Deinonychus’ skull revealing an excellent
sense of balance, excellent vision and hearing, and high intelligence compared
to other dinosaurs.The traditional
conclusion shown here has been disputed by Roach and Brinkman, who argue that
what happened was that the Deinonychus had feeding frenzy over a carcass.
However, this would require bite marks on the Deinonychus bones, while the
documentary states that the crushed Deinonychus bodies were results of their
battle with Tenontosaurus. Like the previous episode, it’s a mystery still
under discussion.The main scientific
gaffe here is that Deinonychus is shown with scaly skin rather than feathers,
which have been found on most members of the Dromeosauridae. There is also a
mismatch in narration-at the end of the episode, a preview is shown for the
next one, but the narration describes the first episode instead.

The fourth episode takes place at the Cleveland Lloyd Quarry
in Utah, where Allosaurus dominates
the dinosaur fauna but shares it with Camarosaurus, Stegosaurus and
Ceratosaurus. The best part of this episode is the discussion of taphonomy, the
critical study of how fossil remains got to where they were found.Martin, Holtz, and Currie return, joined by Utah paleontologist Jim Kirkland of the University of Utah and his mentor the late great
James Madsen.The scenario here is
complicated-with an adult Stegosaurus and her offspring first becoming stuck in
the mud of a dried lake, a Ceratosaurus killing the offspring, a trio of
Allosaurus arriving and killing the Ceratosaurus, the mother Stegosaurus
killing one of the Allosaurs and driving the others away, who then attack a
trapped Camarosaurus which kills both of them. Seven dinosaurs die in a long,
epic battle.This episode is action
packed, but the sequence of events is entirely speculative and based only on
the presence of these dinosaurs in the quarry. The number of dinosaurs involved
unfortunately cuts their screen time and discussion-most episodes discuss two
species, but this one has four. While Stegosaurus and Allosaurus have been pop
culture perennials, the common sauropod Camarosaurus is fairly unique in its
appearance here. Unfortunately, Camptosaurus, the common prey to both
Ceratosaurus and Allosaurus makes no appearance and would not show in a
dinosaur documentary until 2011.

This fifth episode is a huge change of pace. Larry Martin of the University of Kansas is
the only scientist joining George from the previous episodes.Instead of Holtz, there is another University
of Maryland scientist-Brett Kent, entomologist and shark paleontologist.The other shark paleontologist is Michael
Gottfried of Michigan State University. Lawrence Barnes, paleontologist of whale
evolution from the Museum of Los Angeles, represents the opposing species. Rounding out the cast is the science fiction
author, Steve Alten, writer of the “Meg” series. This is the equivalent of
inviting Michael Crichton for the dinosaur episodes.Instead of a specific fossil, whale fossils
from around the world are the focus, showing deep gashes and marks.As you’ve probably guessed by now, the star
is Megalodon. I’m personally tired of “Megalodon” (which is the generic name of
an early Mesozoic bivalve by the way). The great white shark is a magnificent
and tragically endangered animal, but the endless hype and sensationalism of
the giant shark C. megalodon is very tiring. Suffice to say, I defied the
inevitable and backed the opposing whale Brymygophyster. Brymygophyseter is far
more obscure, but part of an impressive lineage of raptorial sperm whales. Its
TV debut was impressive, and I daresay should have killed the shark if not for
popular demand. At any rate, we should see less of C. megalodon and more of the
raptor whales. The gaffes in this one are bizarre;the whales use sonic booms
against the shark, a behavior known from modern sperm whales but not from others, a
mosasaur skeleton is shown when the whale is discussed, denticles are described
by the narration as taste buds rather than sharp-edged armor skin , and Steve
Alten brings up the scientifically ludicrous idea of the animal’s survival (an
idea so ridiculous that Discovery made a special on it). The extinction of both
animals is reasonably surprised to be from competition from the intelligent,
gregarious orcas.

The sixth is a return to form. The fossil site is the Canon
City fossil site, more specifically the Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus skeletons
near each other.In addition to Martin,
Witmer (here to compare Ceratosaurus and Allosaurus brain sophistication),
Holtz, and Currie, George is joined by Mark Loewen, John Foster, Jim Kirkland,
and Robert Gaston.The scenario is how
an Allosaurus could invade territory held by two Ceratosaurus and kill
them.I admit, it’s a weaker episode,
especially considering how this matchup was dealt with in a previous episode in
less than 20 seconds, but the good news is that the fight is
well-choreographed, the dinosaurs are analyze in depth as opposed to the quick
descriptions of the previous fight, and Allosaurus (George’s favorite dinosaur)
is given an excellent treatment on why it was so successful.There’s another narration mismatch at the
end.

Episode 7 is another change of pace, being a clip show more
than anything else.There’s not much
else to say, but it’s basically an overview of the apex theropods in each
program. Allosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, and Majungasaurus are described from
previous episodes, and Utahraptor and Albertosaurus are previewed from upcoming
episodes. Oddly enough, Deinonychus, Dromeosaurus, Nanotyrannus and
Ceratosaurus are not included.Sadly,
there’s not much in the way of comparisons between animals or discussions of
prey.Its best point is the previews of
the Utahraptor and Albertosaurus. Other than that, there’s not much to this
episode.

This episode is a step up. The story here is based on the
discovery of two species of dinosaur found at Gaston Quarry near Moab, Utah in
1991. There’s no evidence for a fight at all-no broken bones or scratches.
There is evidence for a drought, however,and George uses it to explain how a confrontation between these two
animals could occur. Both discoverers, Robert Gaston, producer of fossil casts,
and Jim Kirkland, Utah-based paleontologist, appear to talk about their babies
in the episode, giving it a bonus in my opinion.Holtz and Larson return, and are joined by Colorado
paleontologist Brooks Britt. Lawrence Witmer’s segments contrast the two
animals- Gastonia’s very basic brain function, bad eyesight, and excellent smell
and hearing is compared with Utahraptor’s more sophisticated brain, inner ear
adapted for fast movements and balance, and excellent eyesight.Interestingly, there is a disclaimer before
the final fight as George explains that the scenario described is
scientifically based speculation on how a confrontation could have occurred.This possibly my favorite episode, despite
the gaffes of a scaly-skinned Utahraptor (due to animation budget), and tiny
Azdarchid pterosaurs (the only Early Cretaceous Azdarchid in North America, Bennettazhia, was
more likely fairly large) and the unexplained assertions of Utahraptor being
able to leap 15 feet in the air and that the tail and hip spikes of Gastonia
evolved an anti-dromaeosaur shearing action. Fortunately the extinction of the
species is well-explained citing Tenontosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus as
replacements (oddly enough,Utahraptor’s
smallersuccessor Deinonychus and
Gastonia’s much larger successor Peloroplites are not mentioned)

Episode 8 is a return to the Neogene, and again only Larry
Martin joins George from earlier episodes.The setting is Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming, discovered in 1971. There’s
no mention of prehistoric humans, despite their environmental impact that would
have doubled the Ice Age’s stress..The experts here are
Pleistocene experts BlaineSchubert of East Tennessee University and Chris Shaw,
specializing in the La Brea site.The stars here are the predators Arctodussimus and Panthera atrox, both found at
Natural Trap Cave. Their motivation to fight is the setting of the late ice age
where prey is scarcer and predators more obliged into conflict.Arctodus is controversially said to be
a super predator, 15 feet long, 12 feet tall, 2500 lbs, and running at 45 mph.
These assertions have been challenged in the past, but there’s no specific
rebuttal to the doubters. Arctodus, again
controversially, is portrayed as both an active predator and a kleptoparasite
(bullying other predators from their kills). A mammoth calcaneus marked with
bear tooth marks is given as proof. Arctodus’ diet and ecological role is still
hotly debated-the legs are alternately long enough for swift running and too
delicate for fighting, the body alternately too bulky to run or used to
overpower prey. A morphological analysis argues for omnivory, while an isotope
analysis argues for carnivory.One claim
about the bite forces of both the bear and lion being twice as much as their
extant relatives sounded fishy, but quick research showed that it was
true!The best parts of this episode are
the focus on Pleistocene megafauna, and the well-choreographed fight. Yes, the
fight is not supported by any of the bones in the cave, but it is an
interesting question and very fun to watch.Blasing gives an excellent analogy of Arctodus as the Tyrannosaurus of
the Americas and Panthera as the Nanotyrannus.The bad news is that the sabertooth cats Homotherium and Smilodon are
not seen or mentioned, despite being potential rivals to both animals. There is
a gaffe showing Arctodus in South America, but a bigger, heavier, and more
vegetarian sister species Arctotherium pick up the slack.Other problems include the horrible CGI
(like feathers, the low budget and time of the documentary led to very bad fur
animation and the models of the animals just look awful).Other gaffes include saying global warming
killed both animals despite Panthera being found in Chiapas and Arctodus being
found in Florida and Aguascalientes.The
narration mentions leopards replacing the lions, confusing them with Jaguars.
Finally, there’s a shot showing modern African mammal bones during discussion
of megafauna. Still an excellent episode
in my opinion

This next episode is based on a mass burial found at
Pipestone Creek in 1986, where a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus was found with
Albertosaurus teeth among them. In the
most embarrassing gaffe in the program, George says Pachyrhinosaurus had a keratinous
horn on the nasal boss. Witmer objects to this, and Holtz seems to be skeptical
about it.Interestingly, Witmer also
notes that there is some individual variation between Pachyrhinosaur skulls in
terms of nasal bosses.We see very
similar variation in Triceratops horns, which has led to the extremely
debatable suggestion that Triceratops also encompassed Eotriceratops,
Torosaurus, and Nedoceratops as variations, but I digress. Peter Larson says
the frill was a protective object. The main argument against this function is
the lightness and the massive apertures of ceratopsian frills (by the way,
neither is true for Triceratops, which has a solid frill). I am of the opinion
that, like a lion’s mane, it was primarily a sexual display and provided minor
protection against neck bites.Once
again, Taphonomy is discussed, and the reason given for the herd’s drowning is a
stampede caused by Albertosaurus. The
late great Wann Langston makes an appearance, joining Currie and Holtz to talk
Albertosaurus. Holtz makes a priceless comparison of Tyrannosaurus as an SUV
and Albertosaurus as a sports car, while Currie explains that the specimens of
Albertosaurus outside the Horseshoe Canyon formation may represent a different
species.As usual, there’s brain comparison-while
both animals are gregarious, the Albertosaurus is smarter.Inexplicably, there’s mentions of
Leallynasaura and Timimus, two Australian dinosaurs at the other pole. Even
during a fight between one of the Albertosaurs and a Pachyrhinosaurus (a fight
unsupported by the fossil record), there’s a digression of global warming at
the end of the Cretaceous. The fight is rather poor, unfortunately. The
Pachyrhinosaurus is poorly animated, and a direct horn thrust to the thin of
the Albertosaurus is dismissed as a shallow cut. Somehow the Albertosaurus,
already established to be gracile and must lighter than the massive
ceratopsian, is able to throw the prey.Pachyrhinosaurus is a rising star in dinosaur media since 1999, but this
isn’t their show. Albertosaurus is the star, and it’s great to see so much
attention and praise placed on a tyrannosaur other than Tyrannosaurus itself.
It’s a mediocre episode, ending with a preview stating that Dromeosaurus and
Tyrannosaurus hunted side by side. Oh boy.

This episode is both a very good and very bad one. It’s
based on a mummified Edmontosaurus tail found in South Dakota in 1996. My
favorite part of the episode is the initial focus on Edmontosaurus, which is
usually relegated to Tyrannosaurus chow (which, ecologically, it would be) in
media. Witmer goes into the senses of hearing, while Currie, Larson, and Holtz
discuss the success of the hadrosaurs. Interestingly enough, Blasing states that
hadrosaurus probably expelled males, something that is done in modern mammals.Instead of the more reasonable idea of
Tyrannosaurs and Dromeosaurs scavenging on the same carcass-a Tyrannosaur would
logically eat the organs first and leave the tail, George proposes that the
Edmontosaurus was killed by a pack of Dromeosaurus. By the way, Dromeosaurus is
not known from the Dakota formation or Hell Creek formation, but the name was
used as a placeholder for dromeosaurian teeth. Recently, more remains have been
found and the genus Acheroraptor has been erected.As usual, the dromeosaurs have only very few
feathers.Martin and Currie talk Dromeosaurus, and
Witmer describes their complex brains, inner ears adapted for agility, and
excellent vision.The dromeosaurs are
called raptors, annoyingly enough, and the raptor hype is back in full spades.
They attack the Edmontosaurus for invading their territory, but the problem
with this is that mobbing birds today aren’t trying to kill the invader, just
drive them out, and that as soon as one is killed, the rest fly.I’m still skeptical about the ability of
“raptors”, the size of Labrador retrievers attacking an elephant-sized
Edmontosaurus, but they take him down. The only thing stranger is that the
narrator stating that dromeosaurs“communicated using quick hand gestures”.Now, the title of the episode is “Raptor vs
T. Rex” (I blame Jurassic Park for these now very tired terms). Guess how long
the title fight lasts? 2 seconds. The Tyrannosaurus roars, and the
Acheroraptors do their next impression: Jesse Owens. It’s very anti-climactic.I did enjoy seeing Edmontosaurus and the idea
of a three-way conflict, but said conflict never happened and Tyrannosaurus is
just an overblown cameo.

I admit it; I put off seeing the last episode. You see, a
pet peeve of mine is dinosaur extinction programs. Not just because they’re depressing, but
because they’re boring. There’s only so many times you can see Tyrannosaurus
get smacked by a meteor.It’s especially
inappropriate for this episode, which pads out the running time with no, if
any, new footage. Instead, they reuse old clips from the previous episodes and
tint some of the Cretaceous scenes red to simulate the impact. I don’t know if
the asteroid footage was made for this episode or from another show, but there
is no new dinosaur material. One shot of the impact is actually taken from
Walking With Dinosaurs.Cleverly (and
cheaply), existing footage is edited to show impacts and fires and
earthquakes.Holtz , Currie, and Martin
return, with Mark Loewen returning to talk about the Jurassic extinction while
astronomers Dan Durda and William Bottke explain the astrophysics. The good
points of this episode are the physiological explanations for dinosaur success
(brains and hips, basically), discussion of the Jurassic extinction,and some good moments from the experts. Brett
Kent describes how sea life has suffered more extinctions than land, while
Holtz gives a wonderful line that not all the dinosaurs died out, just “all the
really cool ones”. Gaffes include the footage re-use,using Pachyrhinosaurus and Albertosaurus
despite the fact that they went extinct before the impact, and placement of
Deinonychus in the Triassic to cover up the fact that no animals before 170
million years ago are shown in the program.They do their best to spruce up the extinction event; George describes
it as making modern Hollywood pyrotechnics look like an Ed Wood effect in
comparison, while the editing and writing shows the impact and catastrophe in
the same style as a regular fight.There’s a good comparison of the effects-a Tyrannosaurus family is
killed by impact of intense heat and pressure, while the Majungasaurus is wiped
out by a tsunami.Still, despite all
this, this is the worst episode.

It’s hard to judge this series-it’s not factually perfect,
and the repeated footage can get very obnoxious. On the other hand, it’s fun to
watch. I love the idea behind this story-using dramatic examples of how
paleontologists reconstruct prehistoric animals and their lives. I love the
idea of using an elaborate action scene as a hook and centerpiece to the usual
scientific deduction and analysis.The
“talking heads” selection is excellent, and it would have just as excellent if
it was just Blasing talking with paleontologists. The effects are dated and the
“raptors” are embarrassingly nude, but the colorful patterns look good. The
focus is primarily Cretaceous North America, with no animals featured from
before the Late Jurassicor from outside
North America other than Brymygophyseter and Majungasaurus.However, only Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus,
Ceratosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Utahraptor, Deinonychus, and Stegosaurus are
commonly seen species in the media, with the rest being second tier or entirely
obscure. I had never even heard of Brymygophyseter before this program.Two episodes, the clip show and the finale,
were wastes of time, but the rest were entertaining from beginning to end.This show informed (especially the Larry
Witmer segments), inspired (I’ll be doing something similar myself), and
entertained (when the show is terrible, it’s fun to make fun of and complain
about). So, all in all, I give it a 70/100. Not a great show, but good fun.

Q:There's
a number of writers involved-how much were you and the paleontologists involved
in the writing?

A: At first, I would create an overview for each
episode and then the writers would write the outline for the show. Then the
writers would call me to discuss various questions to insure they were as scientifically
accurate as possible. But very soon into the series I was approached by the
Network and the head writer and asked if I would be willing to just write each
show. So I took the writers outlines, or entire scripts, and added, changed or
rewrote each episode. I am not a television writer, so it was a bit of a
challenge. But I enjoyed it.

Q: Was there any ideas for episodes or
scenes left on the cutting room floor?

A: Yes. One of the shows that I really, REALLY
pushed for was a "Tyrannosaurus vs Giganotosaurus" episode. Other
than the specifics of each dinosaurs, this show would be based purely on
fiction. The Network fought the idea because they wanted the basic premise of
each show to be rooted in actual fossil evidence. But after months of asking,
they were finally ready to give in. But then they cut it at the last minute.

Q: Was the show your idea? If not, who?

A: Originally Gerard Lodico, Debra
Fazackerley and I had created a concept for a show that would have me as the
host. Through the production company where Gerard worked, they pitched our show
idea to the History Channel. The network was not interested in our concept, but
asked us about altering our show concept into something that the network would
be more interested in. Head writer Arthur Drooker and I, along with an employee
of the production company, came up with the basic concept for the show. From
there I created each episode, chose the paleontologists I wanted to interview,
decided what dinosaurs to use and then designed each battle scene. And Jurassic
Fight Club was born.

Q; Is there any other trivia or behind the
scenes information you can remember?

A: We had such a great time filming the
series. It was such an amazing learning experience for me and allowed me to
meet, and work with, some of the worlds leading paleontologists. And it also
gave me some insight into the magic of television. For instance; in the show
about Megalodon, some of that under water footage was filmed in my 30 gallon
fish aquarium. I am the only person on earth who can say that he had a whale
and giant shark fighting in the aquarium that sits in my living room. Another
thing that I laugh about is how my interviews were shot. When the
paleontologists were being interviewed, I would sit in a chair next to the
camera and ask them questions. They would look at me and answer. But whenever I
was on camera, there was no one there who would ask me questions, so in order
to keep myself focused, I had to look at a mark on the back wall of the studio
and "talk to it" like it has asked me a question and I was answering.
I actually do the same thing today when I'm shooting my Q&A videos for
Youtube. I lean a mop against the camera tripod and look at it as if I'm
looking at a person. It's pretty funny actually. Although I loved making the
show, I was really surprised at the number of people who could not understand
that the first part of each episode was fact based, while the "fight
scenes" were completely fabricated. I heard from so many people who would
ask how we could possible know what each dinosaur was doing or thinking. Heck,
there was even a group of educated paleontologists who didn't get it. Yet many
of them liked the original Walking with Dinosaurs, which was nearly 100% based
on fictional storytelling. I learned that the field of Paleontology is a rather
small industry, and so it breeds a sort of "club" mentality where
some of the members want it to remain private. So part of the dislike of the
show by the science community was based on petty jealousy because I am not part
of their group. A few others who joined the chorus of complainers probably did
so because afraid of being ostracized by the handful of those leading the
charge to disparage the show. But in the end, hundreds of millions of people
enjoyed the show for what it was intended to be; factually based science along
with fictionally based storytelling. And for me, the most rewarding part of the
show came when those paleontologists, who I consider the top in the world, said
they liked the show and still stand by it. If the show is liked by them, and a
few hundred million other people, then I feel it was a success.

You can find up what George Blasing is up to here. http://www.dinosaurgeorge.com/Home_Page.php

About Me

Hi everyone! You may know me already, but 99% of you won't. I've decided to make a blog for myself. I'm a anthropology student who has returned to his original passion for palaeontology. Ever since I was little, I've been fascinated with the weird and wonderful animals that have inhabited our planet and I've made this blog to keep this in my mind and hopefully in yours. Most people blog about their interests, and while I've got a range of interests-see history and anthropology above, not to mention zoology, astronomy, art, cooking, science fiction and fantasy films and literature, and a myriad of others, the one I want to do for a living is the study of Earth's ancient past.

On this blog I'll review papers, talk about fossils, museums, and taxa, review art, film, literature, and our culture's view of paleontology, and share memories and insights. I've been inspired by the far better blogs of professional palaeontologists, and I'll share them as time goes on. I'm also open to requests and questions of opinions, the latest palaeo news, and discussions with other fans informal and professional.

I think this is going to have fun, and I'm hoping my readers will have just as much fun.

Copyright: All media and print reviewed belongs to the owners and publishers. Likewise, all art used for this blog belongs to their artists. This is a non-profit blog for education and entertainment.